Craving Earth: Understanding Pica--The Urge to Eat Clay, Starch, Ice, and Chalk

by Sera L. Young and Sera Young

Book Overview

Humans have eaten earth, on purpose, for more than 2,300 years. They also crave starch, ice, chalk, and other unorthodox items of food. Some even claim they are addicted and "go crazy" without these items, but why? Sifting through extensive historical, ethnographic, and biomedical findings, Sera L. Young creates a portrait of pica, or nonfood cravings, from humans' earliest ingestions to current trends and practices. In engaging detail, she describes...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0231146086
• ISBN13: 9780231146081
• Release Date: February 2011
• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.4" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 22 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher